Palaeomagnetists' basic assumption that Earth's magnetic field is a GAD, that is, a geocentric axial dipole, has been challenged by anomalous magnetic data from ancient Canadian basalts. At a closer look, fast continental drift could explain this anomaly.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
References
Pesonen, L. & Nevanlinna, H. Nature 294, 436–439 (1981).
Nevanlinna, H. & Pesonen, L. J. Geophys. Res. 88, 645–658 (1983).
Gallet, Y., Pavlov, V., Semikhatov, M. & Petrov, P. J. Geophys. Res. 105, 16481–16499 (2000).
Swanson-Hysell, N. L., Maloof, A. C., Weiss, B. P. & Evans, D. A. D. Nature Geosci. 2, 713–717 (2009).
McElhinny, M., McFadden, P. & Merrill, R. J. Geophys. Res. 101, 25007–25027 (1996).
Opdyke, N. D. & Channell, J. E. T. Magnetic Stratigraphy (International Geophysics Series Vol. 64, Academic Press, 1996).
Meert, J. G. & Torsvik, T. H. Tectonophysics 375, 261–288 (2003).
Li, Z. X. et al. Precambrian Res. 160, 179–210 (2008).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Meert, J. In GAD we trust. Nature Geosci 2, 673–674 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo635
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo635
- Springer Nature Limited
This article is cited by
-
The (Paleo)Geography of Evolution: Making Sense of Changing Biology and Changing Continents
Evolution: Education and Outreach (2012)